Ringo: CU Buffs tough, but must be more so

If you're a fan of the Colorado Buffaloes and you wake up Sunday morning with a bitter taste in your mouth, it's nothing to be concerned about.

It's just NCAA Tournament disappointment.

Sure, it's unpleasant and not the way you want to start your Sunday in late-March, but think of the millions of fans of other programs around the country who never have the experience. Nearly 300 men's and women's teams around the nation didn't even make the tournament. That's a lot of folks who didn't have the chance to feel or taste what you're experiencing this year.

CU has been one of those schools much, much, much too often in the past. So, yeah, this is part of moving up in the world and making progress on the hardwood.

The CU women laid an egg in their first NCAA Tournament appearance in nearly a decade Saturday evening, losing to old Big-12 Conference rival Kansas 67-52 at the Coors Events Center. It was a gut-punch of a way to end the season listening to the KU cheerleaders and band do Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk as the final minute ticked by slowly.

It was a sad way to see Buffs star Chucky Jeffery end her marvelous career, but that shouldn't be the image that sticks.

Consider how far Jeffery has helped bring the program. When she joined the program the Buffs were mediocre on their best days. She led CU to three consecutive postseason appearances, two in the NIT and this year's appearance in the Big Dance.

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Assuming the program continues to rise and improve, the young women who fill the roster a few years from now will have her and her teammates to thank for climbing most of the mountain for them. That is what CU fans should remember about Jeffery and fellow seniors Meagan Malcolm-Peck and Brenna Malcolm-Peck.

The women's loss came on the heels of the CU men losing in the Round of 64 Friday to Illinois. There was a common theme in the way both teams closed the season. They seemed to lack the toughness at key points to recover from mistakes, officiating decisions or a ball bouncing the wrong way.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying these Buffs aren't tough. But there is a difference in the toughness that gets you a fourth or fifth-place finish in the Pac-12 Conference and into the NCAA Tournament and the toughness needed to advance once you're there.

Both CU teams and their coaching staffs deserve credit for reaching the NCAA Tournament this season. They are setting a high standard around here and that is a good thing. It is going to lead to many more fun winter nights in the Coors Events Center and March Madness experiences in the future.

The men probably overachieved, considering there were so many freshmen on coach Tad Boyle's roster and the Pac-12 was much improved across the board. Boyle won't necessarily like this, but his program's success will feed even greater expectations next year, especially if Andre Roberson returns for his senior year. Again, that's a good thing.

The women achieved their preseason goal of reaching the NCAA Tournament, a destination coach Linda Lappe feels her program belongs each and every year. A win Sunday would have meant the Buffs exceeded their goals for the year and any additional victories would have been the gravy on top.

But those victories didn't come because that toughness needed to achieve wasn't there. Lappe said losing center Rachel Hargis to an injured knee might have been the difference in that department. Hargis certainly would have helped, but she probably wouldn't have made up 15 points on her own.

The challenge now for both Lappe and Boyle is building that toughness in their teams to allow them to extend the ride a week or two further next season and in future seasons until that magical Tuesday or Wednesday morning in April somewhere off in the distance when CU fans wake to find no hint whatsoever of NCAA Tournament disappointment.

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